UK ISPs face new ad rules

January 21, 2016

The UK’s broadband providers have been told to expect tougher rules on how they advertise their services.

The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it was considering the step to ensure people “aren’t misled by pricing claims”. It follows a study that indicated most users could not correctly calculate bills based on the information given in a selection of broadband ads. The ASA said it would make a final decision before June.

A lobby group representing the broadband industry has suggested more research is needed before any changes are imposed. But one of the ISPs has already said it supports reform.

“It’s obvious that a single headline price is much clearer and better for customers, and we’re actually already doing it on a pilot project up in York,” a spokesman for TalkTalk told the BBC. “But until the whole market moves to single prices, any company that advertises its products like this will struggle to compete with what look like better deals from other providers.”